The Fight
by Cleome45
Summary: SciPol Officer Imra Ardeen and her friends get ready for the New Year, on an Earth without a Legion. An AU riff on S2's "In The Beginning." "T" for violence and language. Written for 1000GreenSun's Holiday Contest/Challenge. Complete.
1. The Fight

_(SciPol Officer Imra Ardeen and her friends get ready for the New Year, on an Earth without a Legion. An AU riff on "In The Beginning" (S2). Cautiously rated "T" for violence and language. Written for 1000GreenSun's Holiday Contest/Challenge. Comments and/or critiques welcome. I don't own any DC characters and situations and blah blah blah. )_

**The Fight**

(Part 1 of 2)

_12/26/3005, New Metropolis_

Imra Ardeen flung herself out of the lift before its doors were even all the way open. She had started to "hear" cries for help by the time the car was halfway upstairs. The 6th floor hall was beautifully decorated, from the delicate lights near the lift to the ornate trim on the hall plants. Even the ceiling lights had decorations hovering nearby, glittering with holiday greetings in a few dozen languages from several worlds. She paid no attention.

The woman and the child were both struggling;But that by itself wouldn't save them. Thanks to City Gov --her own bosses-- they were defenseless.

At Room 611, she waved a skeleton cardkey over the door sensor. Her friends were a few steps behind, but she didn't look at them. A dash into the main room of the suite, then into the next room. Toward a tangle of thoughts rapidly descending from shock and fury into panic. _Hold on, _Imra "called." _We're here ! _

The first man was standing sentry at the door to the inner suite. A small, focused thought blast knocked him back before he could fire the weapon in his hand.

_Keep it quiet as you can, _she "reminded" the young two men behind her._ For at least another minute. I'm going in first !__  
_

Even worse than what she read in the victims was what she read in the remaining attackers: _So bored._ _If the stuff works quick enough we can head out early._ Even in the inner suite's dim light, she could make out everything. Each man's waist had a canister attached, with a tube and a mask connected to it, leaving one hand free to keep a victim pinned flat on his or her back; Another hand to clamp a mask over the nose and mouth-- The occupants had been asleep in their separate beds less than a minute ago. The attackers had passkeys, and their entry had been silent, not flagged by hotel security.

She took in what she'd already known on the ride up. The gloves, the satchels. They would scoop up a few valuables and leave the bodies. Make it look like a much smaller theft than it was. Nothing personal. Strictly business. They might as well have been spraying the plants in the hallway outside for bugs.

Behind her, there was the crackle of lightning as it struck the sentry. Then a thump as he fell against the wall. _Damn. I should have hit him harder when I came in._ The two poisoners looked up from their victims. Big men, expensively dressed and not at all happy about being disturbed.

Imra's eyes glowed with anger. She'd help them head out early, all right.

_STOP !!_ She sent the command at the same time she sent the second blast. Pink bolts and rings burst from the center of her head, knocking both of them backwards, away from their victims;Taking the "bug sprayers" back with them. She sprang forward and put herself between the victims and the attackers as best she could. The woman quickly rolled over on her side, loudly drawing in air. A second or two later she was on her feet unsteadily, helping the boy to sit upright and breathe. Both were alternately gasping and coughing. Imra didn't take their lack of interest in her personally.

The sentry Garth Ranzz had winged was behind her, retrieved gun in hand. A shot went right by her, narrowly missing one of the rescues. Rokk Krinn was at his heels in half a second, waves of magnetism pouring from both his outstretched hands. Rokk's opponent stumbled backwards, even as his two colleagues were trying to regain their feet.

_Nice work, Rokk._

_That one didn't know how to stay down. You shouldn't have got so far ahead of us, Imra._

_I'm fine._ _You worry too much._

_Sure. Let's finish this match then. _As he gestured, chunks of metal tore loose from the supports beneath the floor and flew up, striking the attackers in the head or chest-- whatever he could reach. All three of them crumpled to the floor. Just to be safe, he gestured at the weapons. Only the sentry had found time to draw one, but it didn't matter. Another magnetic burst yanked their guns loose and pulled them against the wall behind him. Rokk wondered if the few supports he'd needed to disturb would be enough to send them all tumbling down to the floor below.

_Well, hopefully not, Rokk. This is supposed to be a class establishment._

_I think the staff is a little rude, actually_.

_Technically speaking,_ Imra reminded him, _These charmers are on Brande Corp.'s payroll, not the hotel's.  
_

_That's reassuring_. A few pipes that he'd dislodged during the first maneuver had cracked open, sending jets and sprays of water a meter or two into the air. His feet and legs had gotten soaked in the space of two minutes. "Garth !" He yelled over his shoulder at the redhead, who was standing guard by the outer suite's door. "Any sign of any other company yet ?

"No." The young man's fists were at the ready and crackling with lightning. "Just some pretty confused tourists. Stay back !" He snapped at yet another curious and fearful face that had popped from yet another doorway in the hall. Now there were at least an even two dozen staring at him. "Hey Imra, how soon before your other friends get here ? Will they have champagne ? I see a couple of ice buckets out there. Oh, look. There's cake, too. Will we get cake ?"

_You're a laugh a minute, Garth._ _Tanaka is on her way from my precinct. I signaled her before we were through the main entrance downstairs. Just make sure nobody gets in here __unless__ they're SciPol, all right ?_ She turned her attention back to the orange-skinned woman. Ji Daggle was still trying to catch her breath. She looked dazed, and her large green eyes were tearing up;An after-effect of the gas. Imra helped her sit down on a chair next to her bed.

_I know I'm not in uniform, but I'm Imra Ardeen of Metropolis SciPol. Are you all right, Ms. Daggle ?_

"M-my nephew..." she wheezed between coughs. "Is-- will he-- ?"

_Don't speak if you don't want to_. _I can thought-cast for you_. She motioned the boy to come closer. _Tell her. _

_I'm okay, Aunt Ji. Don't worry. _Reep coughed and rubbed his eyes, moving closer to the two women. He put one hand over Ji's, while he stared at the blond woman_. You have powers, too, huh ?_

_Yes. _She gestured at the doorway. _All three of us do. _

_Cool._

The speed and clarity of the exchange was a good sign. _You're not injured_, she added, as much for her own benefit as his. _Even if your throat hurts. It's all right._

The boy looked away without releasing his aunt and kicked away something nearby on the floor. "Snakes," he muttered. The remains of the two units with their shattered gas canisters were lying there. A sickly-looking mist of gray-green and white still hissed out and hovered close to the debris. "Those things sound like snakes." He was shivering, despite Ji's arm around him.

"It's... all right. We're safe now." She looked at Imra. "Thanks to... these people."

"C-can we go home ?"

"Soon, Reep."

_All our searching, all our planning, then it's over so fast._ A quick mental scan of the nearest attacker had told Imra upon entry that the canisters were designed to mix the substance from two adjacent sections inside. All she'd needed to render them harmless was a well-placed telekinetic bolt, splitting one section from the other. As insurance, she'd also shattered the room's picture window with another bolt. Hopefully most of it had landed on the fire escape, rather than tumbling down into the street. Any toxin still in the room would dissipate quickly. She hurried over to the window and yanked the shade away, letting in as much fresh air as she could.

"Hey, your coat's burning." Reep was still blinking water out of his eyes as he pointed at her arm. "Did they hurt you ?"

A wild shot from the sentry had managed to singe Imra's right upper arm through the gray civilian winter coat she wore, but that was the extent of her injuries. She hadn't even noticed the mark until the kid had mentioned it. Garth and Rokk didn't have so much as a scratch between them.

"Not really," she said, knowing from experience that it would hurt more later on.

Outside, the early evening was dull blue and dotted with big flakes of snow. It had been falling intermittently for three days now. Imra studied the rescues, noting that both were fully dressed, except for their stocking feet. They had probably been resting before supper when the attack had come.

"Find your shoes, Reep, so we can go outside." Despite the rasp in her voice, Ji Daggle sounded alert and calm. As if people tried to gas members of her family every time Earth threw a holiday bash;No big deal.

She knew from official records that Brande's sister was maybe thirty standard or so. Right now, she looked older. _I love this planet __so__ much_, Imra sighed to herself without any audible sound.

"Freeze !" The familiar voice made Imra spin around. SciPol was here. Better late than never. _You can travel _? She "asked" her two charges.

"Hands up and come out of there ! Now !"

_Let me go first, just in case._

Ji Daggle nodded in response. _You get behind me, Reep.  
_

_But what if--_

_Don't argue._

The three of them emerged into the outer suite in single file. Waiting for them were Rokk, Garth, four officers from her precinct and Trice Tanaka, her Lieutenant.

_Well, thanks for coming to the party, Trice. Really sorry about the smell. I've never been much of a cook. _

_Oh, You're so very welcome._ Tanaka shook her head, then barked at the officers, "Lower those guns, now !"

"Ma'am--" one of them began.

"That's an order, DiPriest." Tanaka's glare was obvious, even with most of her face concealed behind her helmet. "These people won't hurt us." Then more gently as she moved toward the two Durlans, "Are you all right ?" She gestured at her badge before pulling off the ungainly-looking headgear, revealing short black hair with a few flecks of gray.

"Yes, Lieutenant." Ji had relaxed a little, but the twelve-year-old boy was still wide-eyed and tense, his gaze darting around the room from one person to another and then back to his aunt. He held her hand between both of his own in a death grip. "Just cold, and a little hoarse. Plus--" She pointed to the finger-thick metal bar that wound around the base of her antennae in a figure-8. Her nephew had the same shackling. "Perhaps in the future your officials would reconsider their policies regarding... certain guests in your city. If not for your officer," her green eyes focused on Imra "And her companions, we'd be on our way to a reunion with my late brother right now."

"Ma'am," Tanaka nodded her head. "I'm really very sorry, but could this discussion wait ? I'd like to get you two someplace a little less exposed."

Ji nodded. "Reep, we're going to the police station. At least it's warm there. Someone can collect our things from here later."

The boy nodded and moved to the closet near the broken window, coming back a minute later with a pair of coats. "Will you stay with us ?" He looked at Imra, who in turn looked at Tanaka.

_I guess my actual hours in SciPol are numbered as of now, huh, Lieutenant ? _

_They became numbered when you did an unauthorized mind-scan of Roderick Doyle an hour ago and unearthed this little celebration. It's unfair, but, yes._

_Did they catch him when he fled the hotel ? _

_Sure did. He's in custody right now. Got a lawyer and everything._

_Good to know. I guess I can find another job eventually. _She smiled a little at the rescues, as best she could with the blossoming pain in her arm and her skin growing cold from the outside air. "I'll stay with you for as long as they let me. I promise."

"Okay." Reep loosened one hand from his aunt's and they picked their way cautiously over the damaged floor. His eyes narrowed at the sight of the half-conscious men. The officers had gotten the last one upright and were putting restraints on him.

"They worked for my father's friend." He told Imra. "But then they..." He trailed off, the dark centers of his eyes momentarily swallowing the green around them. One hand formed a fist.

Imra stroked his shoulder gently. "I'm sorry." She could "hear" Garth a few feet in front of them, about to kick off an argument with one of her soon-to-be-ex-colleagues, and she sighed. _Look, can you just hold off for awhile. At least until we're out of here ? _

_You cops are so appreciative of the private sector, Imra. _They moved into the hall and back towards the lift. One of the officers pressed the "down" button._  
_

_We did what we needed to do. J__ust save the grandstanding for later. __ There's still another party to get to, remember ? _

Rokk looked at them for a minute, then at Tanaka. "Allow me," he said, turning to Ji. "This won't hurt you, I promise." He placed the index and middle fingers of each hand on either side of the cuffs that blocked the woman's powers. A glow of purple-tinged magnetism pushed against her bonds, and they abruptly cracked open. He gently removed them before crouching down and doing the same for her nephew.

_What kind of people slap bindings on someone this young, anyway-- for no reason ?_ Imra knew he wasn't really waiting for an answer; That he already knew the reason and had rejected it.

"Now we can go," Rokk told the group.

_Have I mentioned that I've always liked you, Rokk ?_

_Yeah, but it's always nice to hear again. _ He sighed a little and stood back up, looking at the debris stuck to him from mid-thigh down to his shoes. Water from the burst pipes had created a gluey mess that resisted his half-hearted attempts to brush it away. _This suit cost me half a week's pay. Great. _He sighed and wiped his hands on his jacket._  
_

"DiPriest, you four take those men down first. We'll follow you separately." Tanaka donned her helmet again, silently daring him to argue with her twice in a single day.

Garth caught the nonverbal exchange and snickered. _Nothing to this telepathy stuff, if you ask me._

Imra resisted the urge to jab him in the ribs.

O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O

It had been nearly two hours since the fight. The handful of other "guests"going in or out of the waiting area glanced at them a few times, but didn't speak. Trice Tanaka looked out on occasion from her small, blue-tinted glass office, into the main room where her soon-to-be-ex-officer and the two young men waited on a nearby bench. Brande's surviving two heirs waited on the other one. A pair of medics from the station's small infirmary had brought a med kit and bandaged Imra's burnt arm, over some salve for the pain.

Nobody had come to take their statements yet, but at least the room was warm. Imra had her gray coat in her lap, and it still smelled of charred synthetic weave. The two women had scanned them one by one for any lasting damage from the attack, saving the two Durlans for last.

"Please. His throat hurts. Do you have anything for that ?" Ji's tone was polite, but the medics ignored her. Once the scans were done, each of the uniformed women got out a fresh pair of binders.

The three young people all stood up, staring at both women with a single defiant expression.

"You don't have to do that, Jeffers." Imra said to the older one, who was tall, with curly gray hair and old-fashioned wire specs the same color.

"It's the rules, Ardeen." The woman shrugged, then let out a small shriek as a finger-wide lightning bolt struck the piece of metal in her hand. She dropped it, then glowered at Garth.

"That'll go against you, later, Son." Jeffers rubbed her hand. The woman beside her bent down and retrieved the broken device.

"I'm not your son, but thanks for the tip. Hey, why don't you step over here and bind my--"

"Garth, just forget it." Rokk sat him down again. The two medics murmured to each other for a minute, then picked up their red-on-white kits and left without saying another word.

At least not out loud. Imra picked up_ ...all just go back where they came from ? Goddamn freaks, _and rolled her eyes at no one in particular._  
_

"Happy Holidays !" Garth called after them as the exit door slid shut.

Ji looked over at them and smiled her thanks. She whispered something to her nephew, who went back to dozing after a minute or two.

_You think he'll be all right_, Rokk looked at Imra.

_What does 'all right' mean ? _ Imra shrugged. _I suppose so. He wants to go back home. _

_What a coincidence. I'm having a tough time right now remembering why I ever came to this damn planet in the first place._ He pulled off his damp, gritty shoes for the twentieth time that night and futilely shook them out again.

"You've looked better after a night's work, Rokk. I've gotta' say."

"Thanks, Garth." He sneezed and wiped his nose, then went back to the sports paper he'd found on one of the tables.

Another officer brought them all coffee or juice drink, then escorted them to the rest rooms and back a little later. After that, they were left alone. Officials she didn't recognize had been in and out of Tanaka's space constantly, along with at least a few of their mutual superiors. Tanaka would try to defend her. It was her nature, if not the surest road to self-preservation. Imra hadn't informed her own boss of the investigating she'd done with her friends in the week before the fight. On their little trip to the hotel, she had been out of uniform and without any weapon but those she'd been born with. That had deterred curious eyes when they'd gone to confront first Doyle, then his subordinates upstairs;But it wasn't going to count officially in her favor, either.

_You have all the info we commed you right beforehand, _she'd "asked" her boss on the ride back to HQ._  
_

The older woman nodded. _Sabin's going over it right now. I'm not going to enjoy explaining this, you know. To anyone._

_I'm sorry_.

_It was sheer chance that you found out ? Seriously ? _

_That's right. I was on detail last month when Doyle gave one of his "Good will" speeches downtown, remember ? Something... I don't know what-- Something in his face made me want to scan him. Then... you know... __I was afraid that if I got us involved officially, nobody above you would do anything._

_Don't be sorry._ Tanaka had sighed and stared at the wheel. _You're probably right._

Outside their beige-tiled "island," the rest of headquarters was in uproar. The press was swarming all over the place and so were various and sundry U.P. Officials. Even if they'd all been out of earshot, she would have heard them in her head. She was tired, wrung out now that the adrenaline rush of having to act had faded. Her shields weren't up to their usual strength. She slumped against Garth's shoulder, rubbing her forehead with one hand while trying to stave off an even bigger headache than the one she already had.

_You're still scanning, aren't you ? _Garth set down the remains of his lukewarm coffee and put an arm around her. _Why ? It's over. Doyle's locked up and so are all his little friends. Thanks to us, your boss has a desk full of evidence, and anyone else who was in on this is either rounded up or about to be. Just relax already. Read a magazine unit. I saw one on that table over there that's only about two weeks old. _

_I can't._ _Look, I know you're right, but I just can't help it. _

_Well, try to save your strength. With any luck, it'll be at least a week before any of us are deported. I found this great little bar in mid-town last week, right near my old office. We three can ring in the New Year before they split us up. _

_Is that all you can think about after everything that's happened ? Drinking ? _

_I had something else in mind, too, but I don't want the kid to pick up on it. Or Rokk. You know how he is. _

Imra elbowed him in the ribs, just a little. _What about Ji ?_

_Pretty, but I don't think she likes younger guys, especially younger guys with hair._

A sigh. _I had to ask. _

In the glass office, yet another someone was reviewing the intel she had gathered with Garth and Rokk. Tanaka was reading him the riot act as energetically as she had most of the others. Imra had seen the man –Gilbert... something-- on the newsfeeds before. He was one of the Commissioner's flunkies. _ Probably no happier to be here than the rest of us._ Tanaka was half his height and likely half his age as well. Every time she pointed at him, the man took another step back. One more minute and he'd be literally backed against the far office wall.

_Thanks, Trice._ Imra thought. _We've had a lot of fun together, trying to bail out oceans with teaspoons. I'm really gonna' miss you_.

_The rest of your planet, maybe not so much._

**(End Pt. 1 of 2)**_  
_

_("The Fight" is a song from Ruthie Foster's CD Full Circle. I'll put the lyrics up on my LJ shortly, in case anyone's interested. Tanaka is my OC. Nearly all the rest are borrowed, and hopefully somewhat familiar. Thanks for reading.)  
_


	2. Those Who've Flown Away

_(SciPol Officer Imra Ardeen and her friends get ready for the New Year, on an Earth without a Legion. An AU riff on "In The Beginning" (S2). Cautiously rated "T" for violence and language. Written for 1000GreenSun's Holiday Contest/Challenge. Comments and/or critiques welcome. I don't own any DC characters and situations and blah blah blah.)_

**Those Who've Flown Away **

(Pt. 2 of 2)

_12/31/05, New Metropolis_

There was a large oval table floating in the middle of the room, somebody's concession to the Terran calendar, to the New Year's celebrations going on elsewhere in the city and planet-wide as well. Rokk Krinn added a small sandwich to the juice drink already on his plate. He wasn't very hungry, but it didn't pay to reject hospitality. He hadn't been to a gathering like this since his last season playing professional ball back home.

None of the partygoers were known to him, apart from the hostess, who was busy elsewhere. Once in awhile, somebody would glance at him and whisper to the person next to them. But if he met their gaze, the onlookers would retreat quickly without speaking. Rokk shrugged to himself. If the locals wanted to believe every bizarre story that the newsfeeds had spewed out about Braalians in the last few days, that was their problem.

_So what was I supposed to do ?_ He finished his sandwich and immediately forgot what he'd been eating. _Nobody at the agency would have listened to a nineteen-year-old off-worlder with that kind of story._ _Hey, I have this friend a year younger than me who can read minds, and she says one of the richest guys in the galaxy is a murderer. I know I'm just a 3rd-tier data analyst who was still in maintenance last year, but you believe me, don't you ?_

The day after the rescue, he'd been fired from his job at the agency for "unauthorized dispersal of company technology in pursuit of personal enterprise." In other words, he had copied a set of detecting software for Garth and Imra without getting anyone's permission. That was how they'd gotten their second glimmer of what Roderick Doyle had in mind for his dead partner's relatives. Without a job or a native-born sponsor, he was scheduled for deportation in three days. Garth had lost his job as a security guard and Imra had kissed her career in SciPol goodbye; Leaving them in the same fix he was in, or worse. The two of them were close, and now they'd be pulled apart. Winath and Titan weren't exactly next-door neighbors.

_I was supposed to do exactly what I did. Daggle was gracious enough to invite us here, at least. I don't know why I give a damn about the rest of them. _He sighed and picked up another sandwich. _One week out of bounds and it's like four-plus years of good behavior never happened. To hell with this planet, anyway._

There were no plants or flowers in the center of the richly textured white cloth. Instead there were five wooden cylinders, propped at a 45 degree angle to form a fan shape-- each as long as his lower arm and wide as his wrist, but hollowed out in the center and sanded on the outside until their sea blue exteriors were smooth as marble. Various letters in an alphabet he couldn't read ran parallel to the axis, painted on in white. The interiors were white speckled with more blue. The overall effect at first glance was flocks of birds flying off somewhere. Or sea spray, depending on where he focused his eyes.

"One for each year since my brother was killed." Ji Daggle had moved silently to his side while he'd been lost in thought. She wore a pale yellow suit with a high black collar and elaborate black embroidery around the hems and sleeves. Her small, flat cap was also yellow. "Those characters are his name," she pointed to various lines on a cylinder. "Clan, date of birth, and date of death."

Rokk nodded. "If you don't mind my asking, is your nephew's mother represented here as well ?"

"No." She refilled her drink glass. "Zhay died nearly ten years ago, from the same illness that trapped my brother Ren in his humanoid form. Our culture teaches us that the soul of a murder victim stays weighted to the ground until the murderer is caught." She looked thoughtfully at the centerpiece. "Once we get home to Mirwan, there'll be a ceremony where we'll burn these carvings. A declaration that his soul has finally been set free."

She sounded so matter of fact, but Rokk supposed that she'd given this speech to any number of near-strangers before him. "Thank You for telling me."

She nodded, adding more softly, "Thank You for making it possible. I'm very grateful to you three. We both are. In fact, the reason that I wanted--"

The lift bell chirped behind them.

"Imra !" Rokk waved.

She bowed her head to the two guards, who returned the gesture before getting back in the big glass oval and disappearing again. Like their colleagues strolling around upstairs, the two men who had brought her here were in civilian dress suits. Still, their large U.P. badges, not to mention their unconcealed firearms, marked them as a different animal than the blue-clad security normally found at the Superman Museum. There seemed to be almost as many guards as guests;The United Planets' way of saying_ Sorry_. _ Better late than never, right ?  
_

He quickly put his plate down and ran over to embrace her. "You look wonderful. How's your arm ?"

"Rokk !" She smiled and hugged him. "It's fine now." Her cheek was still cold from the outside air. "Where's-- ?" He pushed her away just in time to stifle a sneeze and rub at his nose.

"Sorry."

"You did get pretty soaked the other night."

A shrug. "It could have been worse." He watched her pick up a few star-shaped crackers and several carved pieces of raw vegetables. "Is that all you're having ?"

She smirked a little. "Looks like more than you're having." She turned to the Durlan. "Ms. Daggle." They shook hands. "Thank You for sending this to my apartment this morning with your invite." She fingered the cloth on the short red dress with its high, white collar and square neckline. "It's beautiful." She looked at Rokk's immaculate gray suit with the soft purple tie. "You look nice yourself."

He grinned. "Ask Ji how she knew our sizes."

"Don't have to." Imra took a bite of green vegetable as Ji smiled and tapped her own forehead. "No more bindings." Imra said, looking pleased. "How did you manage it ?"

Without them, the Durlan woman could scan a physical form as easily as Imra could scan a mind. "I think your friend Tanaka finally yelled at somebody who was willing to yell at somebody else." The two women laughed.

"Was that it," Rokk asked. "My money was on SciPol being embarrassed because of that one reporter at Galaxy-Planet who kept talking about the policy. Imra, isn't he a friend of yours ?'

"Condo Arlik ? No. A friend of a friend, sort of. You remember Lyle Norg ? He taught my chem course at the Academy. He also left me a message on my com right after we got back from HQ the other night. It was a pretty impressive rant for such a normally calm soul."

"Wait... Isn't that guy about the same age as Ji's nephew ?" Rokk reached for a cookie off one of the trays on the table.

"No, not that young. He _is_ kind of a prodigy, or super-genius. That's what everyone says. I'm still kind of amazed that he stuck his neck out like that. So did Gim Allon and Hart Druiter. I know them, too, but we haven't seen each other in ages."

Ji shook her head and refilled her juice glass. "Imra, is it just my imagination, or does SciPol here make a habit of keeping super-powered officers... away from one another."

Imra rolled her eyes. "It's official policy in all but name. For longer than I've been-- was, an officer."

"Maybe there's something that...." Ji sighed. "You know, I'm not really a delegate or a diplomat. Those will need to be selected when there's formal relations between Durla and the rest of the U.P. again. In the meantime, everyone looks to me because my brother was so influential. I'm his only heir who's at a universally-recognized age of majority." Her eyes flickered around the room restlessly. "Maybe there's something I can do to help."

"Those wheels grind pretty slowly." Rokk shrugged. "I don't know what you can do for us in particular, but it sounds like you haven't been doing so badly in general," Rokk said. "I've been watching the newsfeeds."

"Perhaps." Ji sipped from her glass. "Wazzo's people seem reasonable... so far. We'll have to see what happens. Doyle may have had... other intentions when he talked us into coming here, but that doesn't mean the stated intention was-- is bad."

"I wonder if Reep is still talking Garth's ear off downstairs." Rokk couldn't help smiling as he tried to lighten the mood a little.

Imra raised an eyebrow. "What ?"

"Oh, you'll love this." Rokk got himself a glass of water. "Garth made the mistake of telling the kid that he used to work security at the Metro Sound Museum downtown. Some gang called The Scavengers tried to break in last year," he explained to Ji. "I had just been promoted by my agency, and they sent me down there with a delivery just in time for the attack. You remember, Imra. Some of your people were part of that adventure, too."

"He means that's how the three of us first met," Imra told Ji.

"So now Reep's decided we're both detectives or something." Rokk shook his head. "The only 'detecting' I did that day was dropping a metal light fixture on some idiot's head when he tried to flee the scene."

"Garth does tend to embellish sometimes." Imra smiled and took a bite of cracker. "If he got cornered, it serves him right."

"I managed to sneak away and back up here after the first twenty minutes. One of the guards saw me, but he kept quiet. I think he felt sorry for me."

Ji was laughing. "I honestly don't know how that boy got hooked on those awful crime books. Some classmate who also spent a lot of time in spaceports, I suppose."

"Should we borrow some of your detail and go save Garth ?" Imra put her empty cup and plate down on a passing nul-grav bus tray.

Ji nodded and motioned to a pair of the guards hovering a few meters away. "Tell my nephew that it's getting close to his bedtime, if you don't mind bearing bad news. He'll insist on trying to stay up." She motioned at the glossy white clock between two of the lifts. "Over three hours to go. He'll never make it."

Rokk smiled. "I had to give that lecture to my kid brother back home more times than I can count. Consider it done." He took Imra's arm and they headed for the lift, the guards at their heels. One of them spoke into a wrist unit, alerting their co-workers already downstairs.

_How are you feeling, by the way ? I don't just mean your sinuses. Are you all right with going back home, Rokk ?_

_I'll have to be. It'll be nice to see my family again, but finding work is going to..._ He groaned a little. _I was supposed to be helping them, not living off them. Not at this age.  
_

_Hey, don't hang your head, all right ? We did well. You know we did.  
_

_Some of that was due to Doyle being greedy and getting careless. He had a pretty low profile for a few years there, until he got overconfident. Not to mention sadistic. Why else would he have picked poison gas in the first place ? Those are the things that really tripped him up._

The lift doors glided open and they got on with the pair of guards.

_It only looks that way because he got caught, Rokk. If we hadn't been there... Maybe somebody would have put it all together later. But maybe not._

_You think Doyle killed R.J. Brande, too ?_

_I was in his mind five days ago, Rokk. I know he did. Whether he'll get punished for it... that's something else._ She sighed. _All I'm saying is, I couldn't get in a time bubble and go back;Be on Brande's transport instead of a different one, any more than you or Garth could. What's past is past.  
_

_Yeah, all right. Let's go drink our toast to the future, and to making the galaxy a better place.  
_

Imra nodded and squeezed his hand. The lift door opened and the two guards stepped out, waiting for their charges to walk out before quietly following behind them.

O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O

"So where is she now ? Ayla, I mean."

Garth leaned further over in the blue chair and looked around him. "We never found out. Nobody knows what happened after the lightning blasts. Part of the reason I came here in the first place was to try and find her. Or find some people who might know the best way to look. It didn't happen, and I needed to work. So..." He had his hands in the jacket pockets of the slate-blue suit Ji had given him. It was the best-looking thing he could recall ever wearing;Certainly the most comfortable suit. _Lose your siblings, your job, your girl, gain quality formal wear. A guy has to take what compensation he can get in this life, I suppose._

"Not knowing is awful." Reep looked at his feet. "I'm sorry."

"Kid, just forget it. Aren't we supposed to be ringing in the new ? We're allowed to be happy once in awhile, you know." He motioned at their silent shadows with the dark suits and guns. "Look, just because these guys never smile doesn't mean we have to imitate them, does it ?"

"I guess." Reep pulled his knees under his chin and looked around, considering. "Have you been here before ?"

"The Museum ? It was the first place I saw when I stepped off the transport and into the city. That was... a while ago."

Reep stretched his legs back to the floor. His suit was sand-colored, with a circle of red-brown stitching at the collar. "I came here with Dad once, a long time ago. I was such a little kid." A wave around the room, at the dozen-plus images of Superman. "I wanted to know why there were so many of him. So Dad told me that each one was from a different reality;And that if you're one way in this reality, you are-- will be, in all the other ones, too."

"You think so ?"

Reep shrugged. "Dad told a lot of stories. I was never sure which ones he meant and which ones he didn't. I still can't decide if that's a really cool idea or... just..." He yawned and leaned back in the chair. "But... I'm glad he's free. Ji says now he can fly again, to the stars he built or to anywhere he wants. He waited a long time..." Reep closed his eyes.

Garth ran a hand through his hair and considered that for a few minutes. He picked up his nearly empty glass from the floor and gestured at the image nearest to them. _How about it, Son of Krypton ? __You were here first. Any good answers ?_

_This city, this planet, its people-- all crazy._ He put the glass down again._ Why do so many of us wind up here ?_

It was quiet, apart from piped-in music somewhere upstairs and the tapping of feet on the huge polished floor as the guards walked back and forth.

_Are we... fated ? Is that what the kid's father meant ? Fated to love this place;To try and defend_ _it no matter how often it slaps us away ? Are we crazy, too ?_

Garth heard soft bells as a clock near the front entry struck nine.

_Guess you never figured it out either, huh ? _The lift behind them chimed and its doors slid open. He turned around, putting a finger to his lips as Rokk, Imra and their watchers filed out into the room. "Shhh..." He motioned to the chair next to him.

Imra chuckled. _When did this happen ?_

_About five minutes ago. _All the guards nodded at each other, communicating as silently as the three friends. _Seriously, does U.P. Security have more than one collective expression ?_

_They're not paid to_, Rokk quipped.

_So how about we go and get that drink in mid-town ? We can be there in plenty of time for '06 to start if we get rolling now._

_We should say our goodbyes to Ji, _Rokk reminded him._ It's rude not to, don't you think ?_

_All right, but let's make it quick, huh ? I don't want to spend all night surrounded by pictures and statues and stories of some old legend. Do you ? If you ask me, what this world-- what all our worlds need-- are real heroes._

_Your point being... ?_ Rokk motioned to their original two guards. Garth tapped the sleeping boy to wake him up. Then the six of them moved back towards the lift.

_I think I have an idea what he means, _Imra said. _But let's discuss that upstairs. _

"Hold my hand, Kid," Garth said.

Reep yawned and rubbed his eyes. "Is it too late ? Did I miss it ?"

"No. It's not too late." Garth smiled without even being sure why. He wondered how Imra could know what he meant, given that he wasn't even sure himself. _ I'll never understand this planet, but I don't want to leave it. Yeah, I must be crazy, too.  
_

Imra heard him, but didn't say anything. She just pressed the button, then took Garth's hand on the left and Rokk's hand on the right. The bell chimed and the doors were open again.

**End**

_("Those Who've Flown Away" is a song from Ruthie Foster's CD Full Circle. I'll put the lyrics up on my LJ shortly, in case anyone's interested. Tanaka is my OC. Nearly all the rest are borrowed, and hopefully somewhat familiar. Thanks for reading.)_


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